Shrimp “Grok-amole” Salad

•

Updated on March 26, 2014

Some meals are just meant to be eaten underneath a bright blue sky with the hot summer sun shining down, and in our opinion, Shrimp “Grok-amole” is one of them. Cold, plump shrimp doused liberally in lime juice and tossed with juicy red tomatoes, crunchy orange pepper, spicy jalapeño and as many avocados as you can fit in the bowl is our idea of good summer eating. Shrimp “Grok-amole” salad is refreshing, nutritious and (this might be the best part) you don’t have to turn on an oven, stove or grill to make it. Just get out your knife and start chopping.

Thank Amanda Low for inventing Shrimp “Grok-amole” salad, which kicks off a new theme (seafood) for the Primal Blueprint Reader-Created Cookbook contest. Amanda lives on the Vancouver Island coast and enjoys an abundance of fresh seafood that she buys from fisherman at the town dock. In fact, Spot Prawns from British Columbia are considered a “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, since the population is plentiful and fishing methods have low bycatch and habitat impacts. We can’t say that the shrimp we bought were quite as fresh as those Amanda eats, but they made a delicious salad none-the-less.

It’s hard to say what the real star of this salad is: the shrimp or the avocados. The recipe calls for three or four avocados diced up, so you’re sure to get a creamy taste of avocado with every bite. As with most recipes that call for avocado, you’ll have to plan a few days in advance since avocados are usually sold far from ripe. This is because avocados are a fruit that don’t ripen until picked from the tree. A refrigerated truck or over-air-conditioned grocery store won’t help matters either; avocados ripen best between 60-75 degrees. A few days on your kitchen counter will do the trick and putting them in a paper bag with a banana might speed up the process (bananas emit ethylene, a gas that encourages fruit to ripen faster.)

The avocado in Shrimp “Grok-amole” is complemented by two colorful sidekicks (orange pepper and red tomato), that add flavor and give this salad a bright and cheerful summer look. As a matter of fact, there is so much flavor in this salad that it doesn’t require a formal dressing. Lots of lime juice and a drizzle of olive oil is all you need. Then grab a fork, head outside and dig in.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 pound cooked and peeled shrimp
3-4 ripe avocados, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ chunks
3-4 ripe red tomatoes, chopped
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
1 large orange or yellow pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 1-2 limes
Olive oil
A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper
Optional: a sprinkle of powdered chipotle pepper optional (Amanda and her husband love the smokey flavor of chipotle)

Instructions:

Put all vegetables and shrimp in large bowl. Drizzle lime juice and a little olive oil on top, sprinkle with cilantro and salt and pepper to taste, mix and enjoy.